GUJRANWALA: Anti-Terrorism Court No 2 judge Ittefaq Abbasi reissued arrest warrants against PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and his 71 activists and ordered the police to arrest them and produce them in the court on Aug 29.

The judge had issued the arrest warrants on Aug 23 but they failed to appear in the court.

The judge warned that all accused would be declared absconders if they did not appear in the court on the next hearing.

Police had registered a case against the PAT chief and his 71 activists on charges of attacking and injuring at least 76 policemen in Sadhoki on GT Road during their long march.

SECTION 144: The district administration imposed Section 144 and banned all kinds of rallies, meetings and processions immediately in the district to avoid any clash among activists of political parties.

The step has been taken after the situation in the city became tense when activists of the PML-N and JUI-F had taken out rallies on GT Road against the PTI and PAT on Friday.

The situation in the city was still intense and police beefed up the security at all government institutions.

Police continued the crackdown and arrested several activists of the PTI and PAT while most of the workers of both parties have gone into hiding for fear of being arrested after locking their houses and party offices.

DIES OF GASTRO: A child died due to gastroenteritis at DHQ Hospital here on Saturday.

Reports said five-year-old Faizan, of Shaheenabad locality, was admitted to hospital in a serious condition where he died.

UTILITY BILLS: Scores of consumers complain that the utility bills they pay through authorised PCOs and Nadra offices are again sent to them by the departments concerned in the next bills as arrears.

Some complainants told Dawn on Saturday when they approached Wapda, SNGPL and PTCL offices for a correction in their bills they were asked to produce computerised receipts which the PCOs and Nadra offices did not give.

Some consumers said their electricity, telephone and gas connections were disconnected by the departments concerned for non-payment of bills and they sought computerized receipts of their paid bills for restoration of the same.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2014